Macro Beauty at Khatib Bongsu

Here comes part 2 of our adventures at Khatib Bongsu.

For the photographers who are into taking macro shots, Khatib Bongsu certainly offers lots of opportunities for really nice close-ups of insects, spiders, other small animals, and also flowers and fruits.

I don't know the ID of most of the animals who became my unwilling models actually, since I'm more familiar with intertidal stuff, being an intertidal guide. Will be grateful if anyone reading this can help :)

One of the first insects we encounter, apart from the mosquitoes, was this cute little cricket below. There was a bit of wind, and I had a lot of problem focusing. This is the only photo which turned out ok :P



This little ant was busy climbing all over a grass, casting a lovely silhouette. Looking for ripe grains, maybe?



These two bugs were hardly moving when I found them. Not sure about their ID though.



And here's another unidentified insect, blending in perfectly with the surrounding leaves. I could have missed it if it wasn't crawling over the flower of the giant mimosa.



A cotton stainer bug, which was much easier to spot compared with the other insects with its beautiful colours.



And here's a cute stick insect. It's supposed to be a master of camouflage, but seems like it chose the wrong place to camouflage itself.



Yet another insect which I don't know the name.



And here's a female dragonfly, which is supposed to less colourful compared with the male ones.



A bee wet from the morning dew. You can see a water droplet dripping off it's butt.



We saw quite a few grasshoppers too. And seeing them jumping among the grasses like they were shopping for the freshest grass, I decided to call them grass shoppers instead :P



Another "grass shopper".



It was also a really sexy day, and we saw a number of insects working hard for their next generation.



And here's another pair doing it.



We saw quite a number little spiders too! Here's one beside its web, waiting for any visitors to "drop by".



Here's another one...What long legs it had...



And this spider was even more amazing. At one time, it just straightened up stuck its legs together, and looking just like a twig!



And this is some worm's hidding place.



There were lots of snails too.



This one looked like its shell had gone under its skin...



There were lots of plants at Khatib Bongsu too, like this buah cherry tree has lots of lovely little flowers, which look like the cherry blossom in Japan.



One of the less common morning glory. The flower is about the size of a twenty cent coin only!



And here's an unidentified plant with a tiny flower.



And these are its fruits.



We also found a "love in the mist" creeper, with a few ripe fruits.



And here are 2 really cute little fruits.



All photos above were taken with a simple point-and-shoot digital camera using the macro mode. I'm not a professional photographer actually. So if you are one of those using a digital SLR, do visit Khatib Bongsu while you can, and I'm sure your shots will turn out much better than mine! :)